Her nods to Madonna, Olivia Newton John, Prince, Debbie Harry and Nile Rodgers are direct and unblinking – mercifully free from the raised eyebrow of irony so often used to give retro sounds a modern topspin.
Her sensational second album Future Nostalgia (originally scheduled for release next month but dropping now after online leaks and because “the thing we need right now is joy”) channels the zingy, electro-ambitions of the 1980s with remarkable freshness, given that the decade’s revival has now lasted about twice as long as the original period. It’s as if the 24-year-old “alpha female” – who shot to fame in 2017 with smash hit “New Rules” – saw the pandemic lockdown coming and has gifted us with a perfect “dancercise album” to help us to bop our way to giddy elation throughout our long isolation. Vuoi la ricetta ma non riesci a gestire il mio suono. Il mio nome è sulla punta della tua lingua, continui a muovere la bocca.
Vuoi alzare al massio, Future Nostalgia è il nome (Futura nostalgia) So che stai morendo cercando di capirmi.
“Don’t show up/ Don’t come out!” sings Dua Lipa on “Don’t Start Now”. So che ti piace questo ritmo perché Jeff ha fatto la dannata cosa.
